By the late 40s the girls were singing with Perry Como on his radio show, followed him to TV and sang on many of his records from 1949 through 1953, many of which were monster hits. The Fontane's were also signed to an artist's contract with RCA which was Perry's label.
At least 4 of their recordings landed on the Billboard Top 30 charts.
In 1954 the Fontanes left RCA and signed with Randy Wood's Dot Records. Their first single for the label was a remake of an early 20th century hit HAPPY DAYS AND LONELY NIGHTS. The record charted at number 18 in Billboard and their hit string began. One of their follow up releases, HEARTS OF STONE, not only established them as recording stars, but also topped the Billboard charts. By the end of their chart career in 1959, the Fontanes had placed 24 singles on the Billboard Pop charts. A number of others were also listed on the Cashbox charts at a time when they ran to 40 or 50 places while Billboard charts had between 20 and 30 positions.
Happy Days and Lonely Nights
The Fontane Sisters Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You took all my happy days
And left me lonely nights
Morning never comes too soon
I can face the afternoon
But oh, those lonely nights
I feel your arms around me
Your kisses linger yet
Now teach me to forget
You broke my heart a million ways
When you took my happy days
And left me lonely nights
Now, with the parting of the ways
You took all my happy days
And left me only lonely nights
Morning never comes too soon
I can face the afternoon
But oh, those lonely nights
I feel your arms around me
Your kisses linger yet
You taught me how to love you
Now teach me to forget
You broke my heart a million ways
When you took those happy days
And left me lonely nights
You broke my heart a million ways
When you took those happy days
And left me lonely nights
The lyrics of The Fontane Sisters’ song Happy Days And Lonely Nights speak about the pain and suffering that comes with the end of a romantic relationship. The “parting of the ways” has resulted in the loss of all the happy days that the singer once shared with her partner. She is left with only lonely nights, and morning never comes soon enough. She can face the day, but when nighttime comes, she is haunted by memories of her lost love.
The singer feels the lingering embrace of her partner and his kisses, a reminder of the love she once had. He taught her how to love him, but now she needs him to teach her how to forget him. The pain of heartbreak has left her shattered, as he took her happy days and left her with sorrowful and never-ending nights. The lyrics convey a sense of desperation and heartache, with a clear longing for the return of the happy days that once were.
Line by Line Meaning
With the parting of the ways
After we separated from each other
You took all my happy days
You took away all the happy and joyful moments I had
And left me lonely nights
And now I'm left alone, sorrowful and unhappy
Morning never comes too soon
I can't wait for the sunrise because it means a new day without you
I can face the afternoon
I can handle the rest of the day without you
But oh, those lonely nights
But these nights without you are unbearably painful
I feel your arms around me
I still remember the feeling of being in your arms
Your kisses linger yet
Even though you're gone, the memory of your kisses still lingers
You taught me how to love you
You showed me how to love and care for you
Now teach me to forget
But now I need to learn how to forget you
You broke my heart a million ways
You hurt me deeply in so many ways
When you took those happy days
By taking away our happy days together
And left me lonely nights
You left me with nothing but lonely nights
Writer(s): Billy Rose, Fred Fisher
Contributed by David D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
bisonette5
No one can sing this song like these gals. The arrangement is perfect.
Benoit Vanhees
The McGuires could have, I think...
Qp0wer
glad I finally found a full version of this, my record has a huge crack in it so I can only play about half the song.
Billy Nunez
Adore it, I can't find Connie Francis' version
David Walsh
I remember Ruby Murray singing this song. I much prefer her version.
Eva B
They are so pretty 🙆♀️I love the way women and men dressed before
bisonette5
1950s....i was just a kid, but that was the best decade of all....so safe; i used to take 2 buses and a streetcar to the far side of the city to see baseball games...i was 8 yrs old..went by myself
Benoit Vanhees
Certainly more elegant, also the cars, the furniture, the home appliances... But on the other hand, more smoking and drinking, the Teamsters, the Mob.... There was a flip side...
Wade Raney
👍😀
CatsPjamas1
@wrdane You're welcome! Yes, Connie's version is quite a bit different.